This section is not applicable to this subject matter.
1. Field of the Invention
A communication cable as used in television, telephone, internet, fax, multimedia, and the like comprises a number of individual information transmitting members. These information transmitting members may be a metallic wire such as a copper wire or may be a fiber optic or other suitable transmission members. Again, there are a number of these information transmitting members in the cable.
Sometimes it is necessary to splice a communication cable. The cable may be damaged or broken, and it is necessary to repair the damaged part of the cable. Or, it may be that more information transmitting members are to connect with the cable to go to another destination.
The cable may be an elevated cable such as supported by a pole or a telephone pole. The cable may be fifteen to thirty feet off of the ground. Or, the cable may be a buried cable.
The communication cable as manufactured has a protective outer sheet of material. With damage to the communication cable and to the information transmitting members this outer protective sheet may be broken and therefore it is possible for extraneous material such as water, snow, dust, and dirt to work into the interior of the communication cable and maybe even into the individual information transmitting members so as to interfere with the transmission of information by the cable.
The severed information transmitting members are spliced together to repair the damage. In practice, and after the communication cable has been repaired, a splice case is positioned around the spliced region of the cable so as to act as a protective outer shield of material in the spliced area. The splice area must be weather proof to rain, snow, hail, freezing weather, a combination of rain and freezing weather, heat, high temperatures, ultraviolet light from the sun, from mechanical stress due to swaying of the cable and the wind blowing against the communication cable, fuel resistant to material such as gasoline, diesel, oil, and kerosene, flame resistant to low temperature flame, and must be resistant to the internal air pressure inside of the cable as the internal pressure inside of the cable is about ten pounds per square inch, PSI.
Further, the splice case must be of such construction that it can be readily assembled in the field. Quite often, in repairing the communication cable it is necessary for the repair person to be elevated off of the ground by fifteen feet or more such as thirty feet. Therefore, the repair person must be able to manipulate the splice case for ease of positioning over the splice in the communication cable. This is also true if the cable is buried underground or in a vault.
The splice case includes a tubular protective case having front and rear end seals. The left and right ends of the tubular protective splice case are configured to form integrally with the front end seal and the rear end seal. There are means for uniting the tubular protective case having front and back covers. In order to protectively seal the protective splice case there is used a sizing tape between the cable and the end seal and a sizing tape between the end seal and the tubular protective case.
The sizing tape may comprise a base of a flexible yieldable sealing material and having on one surface a friction material. The base of the sizing tape should be resilient, foldable, stretchable, deformable, and weather resistant to rain, snow, hail, freezing weather, a combination of rain and freezing weather, heat, and high temperature, ultraviolet light, from mechanical stress due to swaying of the cable and the wind blowing against the communication cable, fuel resistant to material such as gasoline, diesel, oil and kerosene, flame resistant to low temperature flame and resistant to the internal air pressure inside the cable. After the sizing tape has been applied to the front and back covers, the right and left end seals and to the cable the splice case can be closed. Normally, nuts and bolts are used to join the front and back covers of the splice case. In place of nuts and bolts there may be used rivets or other suitable closing means. Sometimes, it is necessary to open the splice case and to perform various operations on the information transmitting members in the cable. The adhesive on the splice case may make it difficult to do a good job in regard to the information transmitting members of the cable. Also, the workman has to be careful in regard to separating the front and back covers and the right and left end seals so as not to damage them. The separation operation can be time consuming and may cause damage to the front and back covers of the splice case.
It is desirable to have a sizing tape which can be used in positioning the cable in the front end seal and in the rear end seal and also for positioning the cable in the tubular protective case and without having the difficulty of working with an adhesive which can adhere to fingers, gloves, clothes, and to the splice case. In some instances it is beneficial to discard the old splice case with the adhesive on its members and the same holds true for discarding the right and left end seals with adhesive on the end seals.
It is desirable to have a sizing tape which has a friction material which does not adhere to the repair person, fingers, gloves, clothes, and to both surfaces of the sizing tape, and to the splice case and which sizing tape can assist in positioning the cable or cables in the front and rear end seals and also for positioning the end seals in the tubular protective splice case. Such a sizing tape has the advantage in that it is easy to separate the tubular protective case into front and back covers and also to remove the front and rear end seals from the tubular protective covers and also to position the cable in the front and rear end seals. There is a saving in time and frustration by the repair person splicing the cable.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
There has been done considerable work in regard to protective splice cases for communication cables and for covering and for protecting the splice in a communication cable.
One of the first patents is U.S. Pat. No. 3,337,681, issuing date of Aug. 22, 1967 of Donald J. Smith, subject applicant. There is a splice case comprising a tubular member 10 and two end seals 12. The tubular member 10 comprises two half tubular members 14. The communication cable in the spliced area can be positioned inside of the tubular member 10. The end seals 12 receive the communication cables 50 and 52. In order to have a tight seal it is necessary to have a tight seal between the communication cables 50 and 52 and the end seal 12. The end seal 12 comprises two half tubular members 30. The two half tubular members 30 can be formed into the tubular member 10, at the site of usage, for receiving the communication cables 50 and 52. An artisan can take a pocket knife or similar object and cut along the indicia 36 in the end seals 12. The end seals 12 are modified to receive the cables 50 and 51. Then, the tubular member 10 can be positioned around the end seals 12 with the end seals 12 positioning the communication cables 50 and 52 in the splice case. The result is a splice case protecting and covering the splice between two communication cables. Again, nut and bolt combination 22, securely join together the two half tubular members 14.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,584, issuing date of Oct. 22, 1996, of Donald J. Smith, subject applicant, relates to a fiber optic closure with a cable adaptor spool. The fiber optic closure or splice case protects and isolates the splice of a fiber optic cable. The patent states: xe2x80x9cThe cable is prepared before placing the cable in the adaptor spool. The cable is wrapped with several windings of a high coefficient of friction, partially adhesively-backed tape. The adhesive provides a seal between the layers of the tape as well as the tape and the optical fiber cable sheath. A central strip around the outer layer of tape is then wrapped with a layer of mastic sealant. The prepared cable is placed into the adaptor in a cable entrance port. Cables are prepared prior to assembling the adaptor. Vacant cable entrance ports are sealed with a plug.xe2x80x9d
xe2x80x9cStill referring to FIG. 4, a thin layer of sealing material such as mastic 72 is applied over the outer layer of neoprene tape 70 of the wrapped cable 14.xe2x80x9d From the foregoing it is seen that this patent teaches of a tape and the adhesive on the tape and the layer of mastic sealant over the tape then the adhesive. In essence, there are three layers of the wrapped material for wrapping around the cable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,921 is a divisional patent application of U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,584. The subject matter of the two patents in regard to three layers of a material around a cable is the same.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,634, issuing date of Aug. 11, 1998 of coinventor of Donald J. Smith, subject applicant, is for a splice closure. In the patent it is stated: xe2x80x9cIn still further preferred embodiments, the end sections of the cable are first wrapped with a narrow strip (about xc2xd inch wide) of soft and sticky sealing material (such as mastic sealant), then wrapped with a sizing tape (about 4 inches wide) then finally with a strip of composite sealing material (about one inch wide) (with the adhesive substrate contacting and adhering to the sizing tape) before the cables are clamped between the respective half end seals. Further in the patent it is stated: xe2x80x9cIn operation, to splice the cables 33-35, the respective end sections of the entering cables are wrapped with narrow (about xc2xd inch wide) strip of soft and sticky sealing material, then wrapped with a sizing tape (about 4 inches wide) and finally wrapped with a further layer of composite sealing materials (about one inch wide) (with the adhesive substrate facing the sizing tape). The layers 38 of the composite sealing material and the sizing tape wrapped around the cables 33-35 form a cross-section just barely larger than the cross-section of the generally circular, longitudinal cable entrances in the left and right end seals. A simple (throw-away) cardboard gauge may be supplied to the field technician to determine when a sufficient number of turns of the sealing material and the sizing tape have been applied to the cables. The innermost wrap of soft and sticky material serves to close any gap between the cables 33-35 and the innermost layer of the sizing tape. The soft and sticky sealing material may be a suitable mastic sealant.xe2x80x9dFrom this it is seen that there are three separate layers of material applied to the cable such as (1) a soft and sticky material; (2) a sizing tape; and (3) a composite sealing material. The application of the three layers of material to the cable is time-consuming and expensive and requires more storage facilities.
Patent application Ser. No. 08/783,693, filed on Jan. 15, 1997, of Donald J. Smith, subject applicant and now on appeal before the United States Patent Office Board of Appeals is directed to a composite sealant and a splice case. The splice case is used for protecting the splice of a cable having a multitude of information transmitting members such as wire, copper wire, and fiber optic strands. This patent application on page 8 states: xe2x80x9cFIG. 9, in an end view on an enlarged scale, illustrates the composites comprising a sealant, a separator and an adhesive between the sealant and the separator.xe2x80x9d On page 9 it is stated: xe2x80x9cThere is a composite 23 comprising a sealant 24 and an adhesive 25. A separator 27 may be placed over the adhesive 25 and peeled away when the composite is being applied.xe2x80x9d On page 16 of the patent application it is stated: xe2x80x9cThe composite 23 is made of the sealant 24 and the adhesive 25. The sealant 24 can be cured CPDM, halogenated butyl, hydrated alum, resins, paraffinic oil or polybutene, or polyisobutene. The adhesive 25 can be butyl-halogenated butyl, hydrated alum, resinic polybutene, and cured polyisobutene. The separator 27 can be wax paper.xe2x80x9d It is seen that the composite comprises three members, viz., the sealant, the adhesive, and the separator, in one unit. To use the composite for sealing purposes it is necessary to remove the separator to expose the adhesive which can be time consuming and, possibly, sticky and messy.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,926, issuing date of Sep. 19, 1972 of Donald J. Smith, subject applicant relates to a device for sealing the ends of a splice case. There is an assembly for sealing both ends of the splice case, said assembly comprising a pair of end seals and adjustable means for rigidly aligning said end seal relative to each other. Said end seals each comprising a pair of mating end pieces having channels provided across the mating surfaces thereof to accommodate one or more cables; means for securing said end pieces altogether, said securing means comprising an annular member located across the periphery of said mating end seals, said annular member having means receiving said alignment means therein. The subject invention distinguishes from this patent as the subject invention is directed more to a sizing tape and the combination of the sizing tape with the communication cables and the end seals.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,481, issuing date of Nov. 9, 1971 of Donald J. Smith, subject applicant, relates to an enclosure for an electrical cable splice. There is presented an enclosure for an electrical cable splice comprising a generally rectangular sheet of flexible material having first and second sides and first and second edges, the material at each of said sides being folded over to form pockets extending along the entire length of said sheet; a bar of rigid but deformable material positioned in each of ten said pockets and extending along the length thereof; a porous spacer mat adhered to said sheet of flexible material between the edges thereof and spaced inwardly from said edges; a strip of sealing material positioned adjacent to each edge of said sheet of material and extended from said side; fastening means for holding said bars together at each end thereof upon folding of said sheet of material to form an enclosure around electrical cables, said strips of sealing material adapted to encase said cables and form seals therewith, said bars being deformable outwardly to form an opening for receiving a charge of encapsulating resin. The subject invention distinguishes from this invention in that there is used a sizing tape for wrapping cables with respect of the end seal and there is used a sizing tape for wrapping end seal with respect to the splice case. There is substantially no correlation between this patent and the subject invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,972 issuing date of Mar. 10, 1970 of Donald J. Smith, subject applicant, relates to a connector in connection with sheath cable shield. As an article of manufacture, a connector for making electrical contact to the shield of an electrical cable having a protective sheath overlying said shield and an insulating layer underlying said shield comprising a base of conductive material adapted to be brought into engagement with said shield, said base being curved to conform to the inner surface of said shield; screw threaded stud means mounted on said base and extending upwardly therefrom; and a bridge adapted to be brought into engagement with said protective sheath, said bridge including means curved to conform to the outer surface of said sheath, said bridge having a passageway receiving said stud means, a nut engaging said stud means fastening said bridge to said base. The subject invention relates to a sizing tape for connecting with a communication cable and an end seal and also for connecting with the end seal and the splice case. The subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,972 and the subject invention are entirely different.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,374, issuing date of Jun. 29, 1982 of Donald J. Smith, subject applicant, relates to a service wire splice enclosure. There is provided an enclosure for an electric cable splice suitable for burial in the ground. An enclosure which provides moisture-proofing and mechanical protection for the splice. A pair of shells which slide together to form a box-like enclosure having a main compartment, an intermediate compartment, and an entrance passage. A pair of cables is positioned in the entrance passage with the cables passing through the intermediate compartment into the main compartment where the splices of pairs of conductors are located. Each of the shells has a quantity of sealant in the main section so that when the two sections are brought together with the cable splice there between, the splice components are completely surrounded by the sealant in the main compartment, and sealant is forced into the intermediate compartment around the cables. The subject invention is directed to a sizing tape for use with communication cables and end seals and also for use with end seals and the splice case or enclosure. The two subjects are different.
The sizing tape of this invention comprises a base material having a first surface and a second surface. On the first surface there may be positioned a friction material to assist in positioning the sizing tape while the sizing tape is being applied to wrap the cable or to wrap the end seal. The base is a flexible, yieldable material, non-tacky, resilient, non-adhesive, foldable, stretchable, deformable, and weather resistant to rain, snow, hail, freezing weather, a combination of rain and freezing weather, heat, high temperature, ultra violet light. The abrasive friction material is positioned in a strip on the first surface and adheres to and is integral with the first surface as the friction material does not adhere to the second surface. The sizing tape can be formed into a roll so that the sizing tape can be unwound when needed for use with the splice case. The friction material adheres to and is bonded with the first surface but does not adhere to the second surface. As a result it is possible to form the sizing tape into a roll as well as the sizing tape being flat. The friction material on the first surface of the base allows the sizing tape to temporarily position the sizing tape with respect to the splice case so that a cable can be wrapped with the sizing tape with respect to the end seal and the end seal can be wrapped with the sizing tape with respect to the splice case. From experimentation with the sizing tape I have found that a sheet of flexible weather resistant neoprene free of material, such as an adhesive, on its surfaces can be used in the splice case. From experimentation with the sizing tape I have found that a sheet of flexible weather resistant neoprene free of material, such as an adhesive, on its surfaces can be used in the splice case.
This invention is for a sizing tape comprising a sheet of flexible weather resistant material having a first surface and a second surface. On the first surface there may be a friction material integral with said weather resistant material. The friction material may be in rows on the first surface or may be separated areas on the first surface. The friction material should be less than one-third the area of the first surface. It has been found from experiment that if the friction material is covering the first surface completely the effect of the friction material on restricting the movement of the sizing tape has been decreased considerably. Therefore, the friction material should be in small areas not to exceed one-third the area of the first surface. The friction material is integral with the first surface of the weather resistant material. The friction material, after being applied to the first surface, does not bond to the second surface of the weather resisting material thereby making it possible to form a roll of sizing tape or to package the sizing tape in a roll. The sizing tape, with or without the friction material,is used to increase the diameter of a cable in the opening in the end seal so as to seal the cable entrance into the end seal and also to preclude the cable from pulling out of the end seal and to preclude extraneous material entering the splice case. Similarly the effective diameter of the end seal is increased with respect to the tubular splice case so as to prevent extraneous material entering into the splice case and to preclude the end seal pulling away from the tubular member of the splice case.